A recent column titled, “Made up names alone do not make the band” posed the question. “Is it good to support something that is just plain bad?” I’d like to delve a little further into that issue.

First off, there are indeed many sub-par musicians in Lawrence. I should know; as a former member of KJHK’s Live Events staff, I spent five hours, three years in a row wading through complete crap to find eight talented groups to compete in KJHK’s local music competition. Many of these bands were awful; vocalists crying “like pre-pubescents” and dancing in banana outfits, threatening to devastate your auditory system. For every one of those bands, there was at least one local talent that I was thrilled to support.

Lawrence has been the home to many talented groups, including the Anniversary, Ad Astra Per Aspera, Ghosty, Danny Pound Band, the Embarrassments, The Get Up Kids (technically from Kansas City) and Kelly Hunt. Even the drummer from Flaming Lips lives here (or at least he did), so if you’re generous the Flaming Lips might qualify as semi-local (and if you’re being super generous, you could even include Charlie Parker). These bands are all first-rate, not just in my opinion, but in the opinion of national music critics like Pitchfork Media and the College Music Journal.

I think it’s fair to assume that these bands prospered because of the immense support they received from the Lawrence community. I also think that local music shouldn’t necessarily be designated a genre so much as it should be a call to the artist community to lend its support. Calling these bands “local” doesn’t mean they all sound the same; it means that Lawrence is proud to be such an artistic community.

I fear that people misunderstand what it means to support local music. No, I do not financially support every band in Douglas County by purchasing every three-song EP they record in their garage. My idea of support is to stand behind people who want to pursue their dreams, whether it means I give a dollar to someone playing on the street, call a radio station to request a song or applaud an opening band.

If people think that knowing three guitar chords qualifies them to lead a band, I say, “Go for it!” Think about it—for every Picasso, there are a million so-called “artists” attempting to sell their finger paintings. For every Michael Jordan, there are a million mediocre basketball players attempting to dunk with their tongues wagging. And for every Keith Moon, there are a million drummers with no sense of rhythm. There is nothing wrong with that. Music lovers should be open to anyone with a desire to create music, because eventually they will get that gem. As Freddie Mercury once said, “Talent will out, my dear!”

And consider this. Many beloved rock idols supported each other “locally” as they developed their music styles playing in coffee houses and bars. Before he was a Beatle, John Lennon played in a skiffle band in small pubs. If no one had supported him at the local level, he may not have met Paul McCartney and George Harrison and the Beatles might never have existed. Robert Johnson, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan certainly struggled before they became legends. Local support was necessary for these talents to flourish.

Just as no one should listen to local music simply because it is local, no one should listen to The Who and Coltrane simply because they are legends. Whether you start listening to a different radio station, borrow some of your friends’ CDs, scour the Internet for new music reviews or attend more concerts (with local as well as national acts), you should make an effort to discover new things. You should support music in general because it is an important part of contemporary culture and always make an effort to expand your tastes.

Laura Watkins

2006 Lenexa Graduate

Administrative Associate,

University Honors Program

KJHK disc jockey